Christchurch Mosque Victim's Brother Wins Top Student Architecture Accolade
Christchurch student Abdallah Alayan's design for the pathway though Fiordland National Park this month co-won the Student Design Awards, which is contested by final-year architecture school students.
In his proposal, Faith in Fiordland, the University of Auckland student from Hornby designed four non-denominational pilgrimage structures for the trail from Te Anau to Milford Sound.
Alayan's brother, Atta Alayan, 33, was among the Deans Ave mosque shooting victims on March 15. Atta was heavily involved in the New Zealand futsal community, playing for the Canterbury and New Zealand teams, and coaching many of the young players.
Jeremy Priest's proposal for a modern learning environment for architectural students was the co-winner.
In their feedback, judges Courtney Kitchen and Amelia Borg said Alayan's work exhibited a "profound understanding and sympathy for the human condition" and the structures were designed for an age in which most people had no allegiance to a particular religion, but "retained the capacity to be awe-struck by nature".
Alayan's designs were mostly abstract structures, using geometric lines and natural materials to blend into the landscape.
The designs were "accomplished pieces of work" that illustrated architecture's ability to respond to social and political conditions, identify issues and offer solutions, Melville said.
The jury admired Alayan's resilience in completing a quality and optimistic project after such a difficult year.
Twelve fifth-year architecture students were selected to enter the competition, four from each of the University of Auckland, Unitec and Victoria University of Wellington.
Other ideas included a series of inebriation stations on Auckland's Queen St to address New Zealand's binge-drinking culture, a series of memorial buildings for a site in Central Otago ravaged by strip mining and creating better learning environments for high school students.
Both first-place winners received a $5000 prize and $1500 travel grant.
Source: stuff.co.nz
